Taiping Droid Systems
History Unlike that of the Everetti EV droids, Taiping Droids were developed slightly later, on little more than a whim in the R&D department, and usually for semimilitary purposes. The main concern of the Taiping is cost (for example twenty men with 4 rocket launchers will cost less and do the same amount of damage than a battle tank), and so the majority of the Taiping Droids are, while weaker spec-wise, can be deployed in bulk and possess the massive amount of firepower that can overwhelm other droids through a mix of numbers and swarm tactics. So far, only two droids have been developed, the Ganymede Xiaopei-1 and the Ganymede Xiaopei-2. While the air-space Yi-soon-jee-classed Combat Satellites count as an air force droid, it is not counted due to its role only in air and space combat. Current Models Name: Xiaopei-1 Production Company: Ganymede Robotics Serial Number: ACV-001 Weaponry: 2 Missile/Rocket Launchers, 1 antitank cannon, two anti-air/anti-tank miniguns and 5 Antipersonnel machine guns. Core Type: Yinghuarite Yggdrasil Drive. Description: The very first combat droid deployed by the Taiping Military, it differs from its more advanced counterparts purely in its use of treads, which limits maneuverability but is a fraction of the cost of antigravity systems. While each Xiaopei-1 boasts a massive amount of firepower, allowing it to overwhelm the defenses of other droids. Their Yinghuarite drives also are geared towards energy efficiency, using a fraction of the energy of Fusion reactor counterparts. On the other hand, this comes at the cost of slower power flow. The Xiaopei-1 was a modest success in combat during the Pan-Eurasian War, and thus precipitated the creation of its counterpart, the Xiaopei-2. Name: Xiaopei-2, Air Cavalry Series Production Company: Ganymede Robotics Serial Number: ER-354 Weaponry: 1 Missile Launcher, 3 Anti-tank/Anti-air Miniguns, 2 Anti-droid EMP Railgun. Core Type: Yggdrasil Fusion Reactor Description: Built on a mix of New Japanese and Taiping Technology, the Xiaopei-2, usually called the Air Cavalry, was the second of the Xiaopei series. Unlike its predecessor, it trades its quantity for quality through anti-air missiles and the new EMP-railgun (which, upon impact, releases an EMP wave into the exposed circuitry of other droids). It has been seen used by the British army during its short war against Ireland. In terms of energy, it is powered by the Yggdrasil Fusion reactor, which gives more power with the same efficiency and at higher speeds, making up for the Xiaopei-1's failures. In terms of EMP resistance, although it is affected, after a few seconds, a backup jolt from a protected source is sent through the systems which will reboot the droid after a minute or so. Name: Xiaopei-3, Air Cavalry II Series Production Company: Ganymede Robotics Serial Number: ER-364 Weaponry: Missile Launchers, Railguns, ECC systems, LRDS Detector x2, Electric Cannon x1, Radiation Wave Missiles x4 Core Type: Yggdrasil Fusion Reactor Description: The Third update to the Xiaopei series, the Xiaopei-3 is the first air-only anti-droid/anti-personnel combat droid to be deployed by the Taiping Empire. As such, it uses the originally space-designed Light Refraction Detection System (LRDS) which can see through mimetic camouflage by the refraction of light. Like the Baima Frames, the Xiaopei-3 are truly heavy units that are not meant to be deployed wildly in bulk like the Xiaopei-2 and Xiaopei-1. It will also likely be the last of the Xiaopei series in favor of the new Liangshan-model by Ganymede and the new Mirage model by Aureola Industries. This droid is quite resiliant to EMPs, EMPs will simply cause it to stop for a few seconds before continuing to move. Name: LRDS Transponder Mount (LRDS-TM) Production Company: Ganymede Militech Industries Serial Number: SV2 Weaponry: Antipersonnel machine gun x4, Antiair/Antidroid EMP Cannon x2. Core Type: New Japanese Fusion Reactor Description: Not actually a droid, but a vehicle capable of self functioning, the LRDS-M is built on a simple APC chassis, with optional antigravity systems. Multiple LRDS-Ms can coordinate to form an Aura Perception Barrier Field (APB-Field) that will pinpoint even camouflaged vehicles, transmitting the information directly to droids and motor artillery. The LRDS-Ms weakness is its vast size and slow speed, making it an easy target if they are not sufficiently defended by other forces. Category: Taiping Empire